We can reclaim our peace (& even joy) if we can but take a lesson from nature--birds in particular: redirect your moment by moment focus from a. your destination, b. all what-if's & c. expectation of a particular outcome. We, like birds, are meant to sing & to fly. This may seem simple. & it is. But not easy. I dare you to try.
Begin your journey by listening to this month's audio reading. This intoduction to our theme sets the foundation for all our work together this month.
As you listen, notice which ideas resonate most deeply. These resonances will guide you toward the journal questions most relevant to your personal growth.
Never Knowing Where We Fly
Birds learn how to fly, never knowing where flight will take them.
There is a deep and humbling lesson in the way of birds. Their wings grow and stretch and span patches of air. First tentatively and then with confidence, they lift, they pump, they glide, they land. It seems, for birds, it is the act of flying that is the goal. True, they migrate and seek out food, but when flying, there is the sense that being aloft is their true destination.
Unlike birds, we confuse our time on Earth, again and again, with obsessions of where we are going—often to the point that we frustrate and stall our human ability to fly. We frequently tame and hush our need to love, to learn, to know the truth of spirit, until we can be assured that our efforts will take us somewhere. All these conditions and hesitations and yes-buts and what ifs turn the human journey upside down, never letting the heart, wing that it is, truly unfold.
Yet, without consideration or reservation, it is simply the presence of light that stirs birds to sing and lift. They do not understand concepts such as holding back or only investing if the return seems certain. In this we are the only creatures that seek out guarantees, and in so doing, we snuff the spark that is discovery.
Just how often do we cripple ourselves by not letting love with all its risks teach us how to fly? How many times do our hearts stall because we won’t let the wingspanof our passion open us fully into our gifts? How frequently do we search for a song of guidance that can only come from inside us?
I know that over the years, through fear and expectation, my mind has gathered and hoarded places I needed to go, things I needed to have, selves I needed to be. But here I am, without most of them—the goals and wants all used up in learning how to love.
So, try as I do to imagine and construct where I am headed, try as I will to plan and know what this life of feeling means, it is the pulse of what I feel itself that lifts me into spirit. In truth, wings don’t grow any differently to fit south or east or west, and our lives no matter how we train ourselves, are more fundamental than any direction of worldly ambition. We, like the birds, are meant to fly and sing—that’s all—and all our plans and schemes are twigs of nest that, once outgrown, we leave.
_________
-Meditate on some desire you have hesitated to give life to. It might be your want to dance or play the piano. Or an impulse to travel somewhere that is calling you. Or the urge to get to know someone, even yourself.
-Breathe, letting the feeling rise unencumbered.
-Breathe and focus on your hesitation. It might stem from a fear of failure or rejection or a fear of the unknown.
-Breathe through your hesitation, knowing that, just as wings can only fly if they flap, your ability to live deep things—to be in relationship to other life—will grow only if you try.
1. The Nature of True Flight
2. The Illusion of Control
3. Fear as a Barrier to Expansion
4. The Spark of Discovery
5. Listening Beyond the Mind
6. The Nature of Desire and Identity
7. The Risk of True Love
8. The Voice Within
9. The Impermanence of Structures
10. The Paradox of Seeking
1. The Nature of True Flight
2. The Illusion of Control
3. Fear as a Barrier to Expansion
4. The Spark of Discovery
5. Listening Beyond the Mind
6. The Nature of Desire and Identity
7. The Risk of True Love
8. The Voice Within
9. The Impermanence of Structures
10. The Paradox of Seeking
Ever feel like life is moving too fast? This month I want to share a powerful lesson (& practices) that helped me slow down and feel better during my busiest days. Let’s dive into how we can find peace amidst the chaos. Also, a note on this month’s asana practice: It is more of a Yin or restorative practice with energetic self-care exercises such as shaking and body-brushing. The audio class is short & simple to counterbalance collective energies.
Begin your journey by listening to this month's audio reading. This intoduction to our theme sets the foundation for all our work together this month.
As you listen, notice which ideas resonate most deeply. These resonances will guide you toward the journal questions most relevant to your personal growth.
When feeling urgent, you must slow down.
I learned this, over and over, during the many crises of cancer. Unless someone is bleeding or can’t breathe, unless there is some true physical requirement to act swiftly, a sense of urgency is a terrible illusion, a trick that happens, again and again, because life inside our skin and outside our skin are forever different.
It is as hard as it is humbling. When feeling like I can’t sit still, I need more than ever to sit still. When feeling like I will die if I don’t have your approval, I need, more than ever, to die to my need for your approval. What we need is always harshly and beautifully right before us, disguised in the wrapping of our nearest urgency. We just refuse to accept this, because it feels so difficult to face.
The doorway to our next step of growth is always behind the urgency of now. Now more than ever, when all feels urgent, you must cut the strings to all events. Now more than ever, when the weight you carry seems tied to your wrists, you must not run or flail. Now more than ever, when each decision feels like the end, you must believe that each question is a beginning. Now more than ever, when you fear that being who you are is a knife to those you love, you must be strong inside where no one has seen you, for loving from there can only make those you love grow. Now more than ever, when feeling that you are the source and recipient of all pain, you must bow your head till the ancient channel from sky to heart can reopen, till you remember that you are a blessed piece of spirit-dust in spirit-wind. Now more than ever, you must breathe till your ounce of breath becomes the sky, again and again.
In this way, pray to know your place in the human family like you’ve never known it. In this way, pray to have your True Self inch through your turmoil. In this way, love yourself the way you love the emptiness of time. Love yourself the way you love your children or your dog or your dearest friend, without reservation.
In this way, today with all its hardships will spill into tomorrow, and decisions will become as clear as streams thawing.
Reflection: Think of a recent moment when you felt an overwhelming sense of urgency.
How did you respond?
If you had applied the wisdom from this passage, how might your response have changed?
Self-Inquiry: The reading suggests that urgency is often an illusion.
What personal experiences can you recall where urgency felt real but, in hindsight, was not as critical as it seemed?
Application: The passage states, “When feeling like I can’t sit still, I need more than ever to sit still.” How can you integrate this principle into your daily practice, especially in moments of stress?
Metaphor Exploration: The text describes the “doorway to our next step of growth” as being behind urgency. What does this metaphor mean to you?
Can you identify a past experience where this proved true?
Emotional Awareness: The passage mentions the fear of being oneself as a potential “knife” to those we love. Have you ever felt this way? How can embracing your authentic self contribute to deeper relationships rather than harm them?
Mindfulness Practice: The reading emphasizes slowing down and breathing deeply.
What specific techniques do you currently use to cultivate stillness, and how can you refine them?
Perspective Shift: “Each decision feels like the end, but you must believe each question is a beginning.”
How does this statement shift your view on making decisions? How can you apply this perspective in your life today?
Spiritual Connection: The passage encourages bowing one’s head to reconnect with the “ancient channel from sky to heart.”
How do you personally experience or cultivate this connection?
Loving Presence: The reading invites us to love ourselves the way we love our children, pets, or closest friends.
What barriers prevent you from offering yourself that same unconditional love?
Integration: If you were to embody the essence of this reading for the next 24 hours, what specific actions or mindset shifts would you commit to?
How might this change your interactions and inner experience?
Begin your journey by listening to this month's audio reading. This intoduction to our theme sets the foundation for all our work together this month.
As you listen, notice which ideas resonate most deeply. These resonances will guide you toward the journal questions most relevant to your personal growth.
Here are ten active learning questions inspired by Unlearning Back to God:
These questions encourage deep reflection on the themes of uncovering the self, returning to essence (The God Self, Atman, Center, etc), and navigating the dualities of life.
These follow-up questions invite further exploration and encourage a deeper connection to self-awareness and the growth of one’s consciousness. Choose 1 to 3 Active Learning Questions you answered from Theme 1 (Patience) and answer the following follow-up questions below. Ex: 1. Returning to Something Timeless lists 3 follow up questions to question #1 from Theme 2 (Unlearning Back to God, aka. Authentic Self).
1. Returning to Something Timeless
What emotions arise when you reflect on the idea of returning to something timeless within you?
How do you differentiate between what is timeless and what is temporary in your experiences?
What practices or choices can help you sustain this connection to timelessness in your daily life?
2. Reconnecting with the Spot of Grace
How does your awareness of this spot of grace influence the way you perceive yourself and others?
What might prevent you from feeling fully connected to this unencumbered spot, and how can you gently address those barriers?
How might rediscovering this spot help you redefine success, peace, or fulfillment in your life?
3. Eroding Layers of Film
How can you hold compassion for the layers of film while also working to remove them?
What does the process of erosion feel like in your body, emotions, and mind?
How do you balance honoring your personal history with the desire to uncover your essential self?
4. Moments When Inner Meets Outer
How do you recognize when you are living in alignment, when inner meets outer?
What small, consistent actions can help you cultivate more moments of wholeness?
How might these moments of alignment shape your understanding of purpose or meaning?
5. Tension Between Becoming and Being
What helps you notice when you are overly focused on becoming at the expense of being?
How can you use the tension between becoming and being as a tool for self-discovery?
What does being feel like in your body, and how might you anchor yourself there during moments of stress or striving?
6. Suffering and Love as Catalysts
How do you process the pain or joy that arises during transformative experiences?
What does it mean to approach suffering or love as a doorway rather than an endpoint?
How can you integrate the lessons of transformation into your daily life in a way that feels authentic?
7. Therapy and Education as a Return to the Core
How might you redefine learning in your life to focus more on self-discovery than external achievement?
What habits or disciplines feel most aligned with the uncovering of your original center?
How can you measure progress in your return to the core, if at all?
8. Veils Over the Original Self
How might you identify which veils in your life are ready to be lifted and which might require more time?
How can you approach the removal of these veils with gentleness and self-compassion?
What role do gratitude and forgiveness play in uncovering your original self?
9. Moments of Wholeness or Satori
How do you anchor yourself in moments of wholeness to make them a lasting part of your awareness?
What insights from past moments of satori continue to shape your understanding of yourself?
How can you consciously create conditions for moments of satori to arise without forcing them?
10. Unlearning as a Path to Grace
How might the process of unlearning challenge your identity or sense of self?
What beliefs or habits feel the most difficult to unlearn, and what might they reveal about the deeper truths you are uncovering?
How can you approach unlearning with curiosity and openness rather than resistance?
These deeper follow-up questions aim to support sustained inquiry and encourage meaningful engagement with the themes of returning to grace, unlearning, and living authentically.
These follow-up questions invite further exploration and encourage a deeper connection to self-awareness and the growth of one’s consciousness. Choose 1 to 3 Active Learning Questions you answered from Theme 1 (Patience) and answer the following follow-up questions below. Ex: 1. Returning to Something Timeless lists 3 follow up questions to question #1 from Theme 2 (Unlearning Back to God, aka. Authentic Self).
1. Returning to Something Timeless
What emotions arise when you reflect on the idea of returning to something timeless within you?
How do you differentiate between what is timeless and what is temporary in your experiences?
What practices or choices can help you sustain this connection to timelessness in your daily life?
2. Reconnecting with the Spot of Grace
How does your awareness of this spot of grace influence the way you perceive yourself and others?
What might prevent you from feeling fully connected to this unencumbered spot, and how can you gently address those barriers?
How might rediscovering this spot help you redefine success, peace, or fulfillment in your life?
3. Eroding Layers of Film
How can you hold compassion for the layers of film while also working to remove them?
What does the process of erosion feel like in your body, emotions, and mind?
How do you balance honoring your personal history with the desire to uncover your essential self?
4. Moments When Inner Meets Outer
How do you recognize when you are living in alignment, when inner meets outer?
What small, consistent actions can help you cultivate more moments of wholeness?
How might these moments of alignment shape your understanding of purpose or meaning?
5. Tension Between Becoming and Being
What helps you notice when you are overly focused on becoming at the expense of being?
How can you use the tension between becoming and being as a tool for self-discovery?
What does being feel like in your body, and how might you anchor yourself there during moments of stress or striving?
6. Suffering and Love as Catalysts
How do you process the pain or joy that arises during transformative experiences?
What does it mean to approach suffering or love as a doorway rather than an endpoint?
How can you integrate the lessons of transformation into your daily life in a way that feels authentic?
7. Therapy and Education as a Return to the Core
How might you redefine learning in your life to focus more on self-discovery than external achievement?
What habits or disciplines feel most aligned with the uncovering of your original center?
How can you measure progress in your return to the core, if at all?
8. Veils Over the Original Self
How might you identify which veils in your life are ready to be lifted and which might require more time?
How can you approach the removal of these veils with gentleness and self-compassion?
What role do gratitude and forgiveness play in uncovering your original self?
9. Moments of Wholeness or Satori
How do you anchor yourself in moments of wholeness to make them a lasting part of your awareness?
What insights from past moments of satori continue to shape your understanding of yourself?
How can you consciously create conditions for moments of satori to arise without forcing them?
10. Unlearning as a Path to Grace
How might the process of unlearning challenge your identity or sense of self?
What beliefs or habits feel the most difficult to unlearn, and what might they reveal about the deeper truths you are uncovering?
How can you approach unlearning with curiosity and openness rather than resistance?
These deeper follow-up questions aim to support sustained inquiry and encourage meaningful engagement with the themes of returning to grace, unlearning, and living authentically.
Begin your journey by listening to this month's audio reading. This intoduction to our theme sets the foundation for all our work together this month.
As you listen, notice which ideas resonate most deeply. These resonances will guide you toward the journal questions most relevant to your personal growth.
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